Eleven Questions for The Conspirators podcast 

The Conspirators is a dark history podcast that takes you deep into the stories your teacher never told you. In each episode your host, Nate Hale, an entirely fictional identity, tells you a story about the darkest and most mysterious moments from history.

1.Where are you from? What is your background?

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit. My background is actually in art and design. But ever since I was little I’ve been fascinated with all things spooky, conspiratorial and horror related. I was reading Stephen King novels and staying up late to watch scary movies when I was way too young to be watching them. I also grew up watching TV shows like “In Search Of” and “Unsolved Mysteries” which fed into my fascination with everything strange and bizarre. 

2. What inspired you to do podcasting, specifically a conspiracy podcast?

I’ve always been interested in history, and especially the stranger side of history. There are countless events from the past which are either difficult to explain, or are just plain weird. On my show I’ve covered topics about serial killers, major disasters, survival stories, hauntings, UFOs, strange disappearances and much more than just conspiracies. Basically, it’s morphed into whatever is interesting me at the moment. On top of all that, whenever possible I try to give the historical context for whatever I’m discussing. It all began while I was working my day job and I started listening to podcasts that fell in line with the sort of topics I enjoy—namely stories from history with a spooky and disturbing nature. I love true crime, conspiracies and everything horror. One thing I gravitated towards were podcasts with a single narrator just telling the listener a story. The problem was a few years ago there weren’t that many of them. Which is when I had that lightbulb moment that maybe I could do a podcast as well. I named the show “The Conspirators” thinking I’d focus on conspiracy theories. But it became apparent pretty early on that I’d cover lots of topics from history. I really do enjoy conspiracy theories. I’m also highly skeptical, yet I remain open-minded. In the modern day, the term “conspiracy theory” has taken on a negative connotation. It’s a great way for people in the media to instantly dispel any controversial theory. Because when you hear the term conspiracy theory you instantly think of the usual tropes like tinfoil hats and secret lizard people. But the truth is there have been real conspiracies throughout history. Just like there have been countless other disturbing moments throughout history that get underreported. In my show I try to discuss dark and entertaining topics, and some of them can be pretty far out there. But I also try to give every side of the story, and let my listeners make up their own minds about what they should believe. 

3. What was the first conspiracy case you got interested in?

When I was little the topic that fascinated me the most and still does to this day are aliens and UFOs, or UAPs as they’re calling them lately. Stories about Betty and Barney Hill and Travis Walton getting abducted scared the crap out of me.

Stories about Roswell, Project Blue Book and everything else that went with it were my obsession when I was little. It’s still the number one conspiracy topic I’m most interested in, and the one I lean most heavily towards believing. Do I believe for a fact that all the strange objects seen in the sky are aliens from another planet? Absolutely not. I think the vast majority of UFO sightings can be explained by conventional means. But not all of them. And that’s what fascinates me. Heck, we’ve reached the stage where even the U.S. government is chasing down strange objects in the sky and issuing reports stating they don’t know what these things are.

4. What do you think really happened to JFK? Was it a conspiracy?

JFK is such an unusual topic. I’ve read a ton about the assassination and watched countless documentaries. It really is the ultimate conspiracy theory. The short answer is, I don’t know, and I don’t think we’ll ever know definitively what happened. That’s the problem with a lot of conspiracy theories, especially the big ones that people constantly write books about and make documentaries about. When there’s money to be made, the conspiracy will never die out. There are hundreds of credible theories about what happened to JFK. I’ve read books that had me absolutely convinced that the CIA killed him, or the mob did, or one of his own Secret Service agents fired an errant shot that killed him. And all these stories are written with such conviction it’s easy to believe any of them. At the same time, I’ve also read books and seen documentaries that make very credible claims that Oswald really did act alone. Oswald was everything that an assassin of his type should be: a lonely weirdo with dreams of making a public spectacle of himself by doing something dramatic. And yet, I can’t deny there are numerous elements of the JFK assassination that just plain don’t add up. One day I’ll probably tackle the topic on my show. But because there’s been so much already written about the assassination, I’ve always been hesitant to go there.

5. We’re you a fan of the film The Parallax View?

The Parallax View is one of the best conspiracy films ever made. It’s one of those movies that really fed into the conspiratorial side of my brain. It’s also incredibly nihilistic, without giving spoilers about how it ends. It’s right up there with Flashpoint, Blow Out, and The Manchurian Candidate.

6. What other areas of art are you involved in?

At heart, I’m a big nerd. I grew up on a steady diet of comic books, Star Trek, Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons and more horror movies and books than I can count. I can talk your ear off endlessly on any of those topics. I’m also a professional artist in my not-so-secret identity. All those pop culture influences have definitely invaded my artwork. 

7. What case have you researched that got under your skin and you couldn’t stop thinking about?

Lots of them. One story that’s especially personal to me is the Oakland County Child Killer. I lived in the Detroit suburbs right around the same time as the Oakland County Child Killer was abducting and murdering children. I tell the story on my episode I did about the OCCK, that when I was little I had a close encounter with a creeper who tried to encourage me to get into his car. Ever since then I’ve always had a minor obsession with learning the truth in that case. It’s also one of those stories where I do believe there may be a larger conspiracy behind it. 

8.What conspiracy do you think is not true?

There are lots I don’t believe. I believe strongly in thinking critically about a subject. I don’t just believe everything I read. At the same time, Conspiracy theories are often fun thought experiments. But I realized a long time ago that every conspiracy you hear can’t possibly be true. At the same time, there have been very real conspiracies that get dismissed as more quackery because they get lumped in with the most difficult to believe stories. MK-Ultra was real. COINTELPRO was real. But the earth is not flat. The moon landings weren’t faked. Then there are those topics where things get murky and I can only speculate whether there’s something more going on. Was there more to who killed JFK, RFK and Martin Luther King? Did the government cover up information about UFOs? It seems possible.

9. What do you think the popular culture will be like in ten years?

Pop culture is very cyclical. Right now superheroes are all the rage because of the MCU. But eventually their popularity will fade and something else will take over the public’s imagination. I grew up through a number of pop culture fads including slasher movies and a ton of sci fi movies that came and went in the wake of Star Wars. Horror, sci fi and superheroes are still my number one loves in pop culture, and I’m sure there are lots more great stories to be told in the future. 

10. What other things would you like to explore as a podcast?

I’d love to do a podcast about my love of pop culture. I know that’s a crowded space already. But I love talking about horror and sci fi. These are the things you really can’t get me to shut up about on a daily basis. 

11. What projects are you working on now?

I continue to try to make the podcast the best I can do. I’m a one man show who still works a day job and still does a number of illustration projects on the side. One avenue I’d like to pursue if I can squeak out a few more hours in the day is video. There’s so much of the content I do that I think would benefit from moving to YouTube and other video platforms. Stay tuned and we’ll see if I can make that happen.